Choosing our MBA in International Business will develop your ability to perform at the highest level in global business. We will place you on four distinctive and challenging enterprise projects, where you will work closely with businesses in the UK and worldwide to improve your global awareness.

Our approach on the programme is to constantly apply theory to practice – so you will be able to immediately apply your learning in the real world and make a lasting impact on your industry.

If you are interested in a distance learning MBA, you can learn more here. Our Online MBA is the first and only distance learning MBA in the world to be accredited by AMBA.

Please be reassured that the vote to leave the European Union does not mean there will be any immediate material change to the UK university sector’s participation in EU programmes nor to the immigration status of prospective EU students starting in 2016/17 and 2017/18. Visit our EU Referendum information page for more information.

Students take twelve modules and submit a research or company-based project. The modules available to view below are for the full-time MBA International Business programme. Those taking the Global Banking and Finance programme take the core MBA modules plus other specialist modules for their particular programme.

Expand your understanding of international business – develop strategic and management skills by exploring business theory and practice.

Access the latest research – as a research led business school, we give our students access to the latest trends, data and knowledge across global business.

A life-time of career coaching – from the moment you join us you will have a mentor and career coach available to guide you through the many opportunities open to you in international business.

Accredited business school – We hold the prestigious ‘triple-crown’ accreditation from the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), AMBA (Association of MBAs) and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System).

An enhanced MBA experience

MBA students have the opportunity to gain an insight into how high profile business leaders made it to the top and discover what makes a great leader through our Distinguished Leaders Series.

Select students also have the opportunity to be part of a more intimate round-table discussion with the distinguished leaders, to ask individual questions and explore their career and the theme of leadership in more detail.

A part of our Distinguished Leaders Series, high profile leaders from a range of industries across the world offer insights into their personal journey and discuss the qualities of a great leader. In addition to the lecture, MBA students will have the chance to ask questions in a roundtable setting.

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Why study this course

Core taught elements in functional business disciplines. As a research-led School, the latest thinking and techniques can be rapidly incorporated and teaching kept at the cutting edge

Classes and seminars supplement lectures, where fuller analysis and discussion takes place and important business skills, such as analysis, argument and synthesis, can be developed

Case studies are used as a means of relating theory to practical situations and students will often work in small groups with other students on assignments designed to develop problem solving and interpersonal skills

A series of industrial seminars, given by outside speakers from industry and commerce, provides contemporary ‘real world’ perspectives on the business environment – past visitors to the School have included Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England (and a former professor of the University of Birmingham) and Sir John Bond, Chairman of HSBC Holdings

A residential weekend business simulation requires you to manage a ‘company’ team in competition with others, against tight deadlines and with a range of rapidly changing data to assimilate and act upon (Full-time only)

Cross-Cultural Management skills are developed in a variety of workshops and Issues in Global Competitiveness are the focus of a specialist series of seminars

The modules listed on our website may occasionally be subject to change. For example, as you will appreciate, key members of staff may leave the University and this might necessitate a review of the modules that are offered. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you make other choices.

Postgraduate Loans for Masters students

If you're an English-resident, or EU student, you may be eligible for a loan to study a taught or research Masters in any subject. The government-backed student loan will provide up to £10,280 in 2017.

International students:

12-month MBA – IELTS 7.0 (with no less than 6.5 in any band); TOEFL IBT 95 (with no less than 22 in any band); Pearson Academic Test of English 67 (in all four skills).

21-month route – IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in any band); TOEFL IBT 88 (21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing); Pearson Academic Test of English 59 (in all four skills).

24-month route – IELTS 6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in any band); TOEFL IBT 82 (19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing); Pearson Academic Test of English 51 (in all four skills).

How to apply

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Core taught elements in functional business disciplines. As a research-led School, the latest thinking and techniques can be rapidly incorporated and teaching kept at the cutting edge

Classes and seminars supplement lectures, where fuller analysis and discussion takes place and important business skills, such as analysis, argument and synthesis, can be developed

Case studies are used as a means of relating theory to practical situations and students will often work in small groups with other students on assignments designed to develop problem solving and interpersonal skills

A series of industrial seminars, given by outside speakers from industry and commerce, provides contemporary ‘real world’ perspectives on the business environment – past visitors to the School have included Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England (and a former professor of the University of Birmingham) and Sir John Bond, Chairman of HSBC Holdings

A residential weekend business simulation requires you to manage a ‘company’ team in competition with others, against tight deadlines and with a range of rapidly changing data to assimilate and act upon (Full-time only)

Cross-Cultural Management skills are developed in a variety of workshops and Issues in Global Competitiveness are the focus of a specialist series of seminars

A supporting programme of consultant delivered career-development workshops allow you to reflect on the impact of what you have learnt on your future career development

A bespoke learning environment

As a Birmingham MBA student, you will have exclusive access to the second floor of our new postgraduate teaching space, the Alan Walters Building. This will provide you with access to facilities of the highest quality, including a Harvard-style lecture theatre, dedicated computer cluster and seminar rooms as well as breakout rooms and communal areas for studying and group work, which will look out over the Green Heart when completed in 2019.

EXPLORE OUR POSTGRADUATE TEACHING SPACE IN 360 DEGREES

An MBA alumni, who is now a Marketing Director at Thomson Local, discusses his time studying a Birmingham MBA.

From the very start of your MBA, you receive bespoke advice from our employment consultants. Through one-to-one coaching, our industry experienced they work with you to clarify your aspirations and support you in your future career, jointly developing a winning employment strategy to take you to the next level and to open doors to a range of potential employer.

Employer engagement

Whilst on your MBA you will have the opportunity to engage with top international companies. Our MBA students have participated in a range of activities with employers including BP, GE, IBM, Accenture, Capgemini, Unilever, Deloitte and HSBC.

Group and individual activities to enhance your skills

Throughout the programme, you will have the opportunity to be involved in group and individual activities all aimed at helping you to develop the skills and techniques which lead to highly successful employment outcomes.

A few examples of these activities that you will undertake throughout your MBA programme include online profile building, Careers in Consultancy networking event, Distinguished leaders alumni seminar series, mock assessment centre, skills coaching, and video recorded interview practice.

Careers in Business

Careers in Business is a dedicated service for postgraduate Business School students. We’ll help you in all aspects of your career management, from planning your job-seeking strategies, applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and assessment centres and developing your essential employability skills. At the start of your programme you will receive an email from our team, giving details of how you can access Careers in Business Online. Please get in touch to find out how our Careers in Business team can support you.

Learn more about the service that our Careers in Business team can provide.

Career development advice

Our consultants offer an individual advice service, which includes:

Career review and objective setting

Job-seeking strategies

CV review

Application advice

Interview and selection advice

Working in the UK

International work enquiries

Skills coaching

Employers aren’t just looking for great qualifications. They want to see high-quality personal skills too, such as team working, leadership, presentation and interpersonal skills. Our Skills Development Consultants offer individual appointments to help you shape and hone these qualities.

Keeping you up to date

Our Employer Liaison Team regularly undertakes initiatives to attract employment/ project opportunities into the Business School. You can find information about vacancies and other openings on Careers in Business Online and on Business School noticeboards, as well as through the
Careers and Employability Centre vacancy database
.

Careers events and workshops

This is your chance to find out about employment opportunities, develop your skills and network with industry professionals. Our range of career management, personal development and employer events are a great opportunity to discover what’s open to you upon graduation – just sign up to the events to take part.

Using the Careers and Employability Centre

Postgraduate students in the Business School are very welcome to use the services provided by the Careers and Employability Centre such as online vacancy listings, employer presentations and fairs and accessing online careers information. You can use the Careers in Business team for individual appointments, CV checking, mock interviews and other job search-related activities.